Metallic fastening for boots or shoes and method of making same



(No Model.)

P. A. GOUPAL. METALLIG FASTENING FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES AND METHOD OF MAKINGSAME.

No. 538,322. Patented Apr. 30,-1895.

l'NEZESEE- QJZNVENT D UNITED- STATES PATENT 'OFFICE.

PETER A. OOUPAL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METALLIC FASTENING FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,322, dated April30, 1895.

Application filed November 11, 1893. Serial No. 490,615- (N m The objectof the invention is, first, to en-' able a staple of this class to bedriven into the boot or shoe bottom without liability of glancing ordeviating from its proper course while being driven, and, secondly, toprevent the arms or prongs of the staple from working their way inwardlyinto the interior of the boot or shoe in case the neck of the stapleconnecting said prongs becomes worn away so that the prongs aredisconnected.

To these ends the invention consists in the improved staple and theimproved method of making the same which I will now proceed to describeand claim;

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification-Figure1 represents a plan view of a piece of wire showing the improved methodof cutting the same into staple lengths. Fig. 2 represents a perspectiveview of acompleted staple embodying the improvement. Fig. 3 represents aview of a piece of wire showing the ordinary method of cutting the sameinto staple blanks.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all-thefigures.

In the drawings a represents a piece of wire from which a sole fasteningstaple b may be made.

The wire is supplied in coils to a machine organized to cut the wireinto lengths or blanks,bend said blanks into staple form, and drive thestaples into the work. A suitable machine for this purpose is shown inLetters Patent of the United States, No. 4.93,910,dated March 21, 1893.In said machine cutters are employed which sever the wire diagonally onthe line a a Fig. 3, and thus form a blank sharply pointed at its ends.A staple made from said blank is objectionable, first, because the sharppoints of the prongs are liable to catch on the sides of the holespricked for their reception in the stock, and thus cause the prongs tobe bent or deflected from the proper course when being driven, and,secondly, because the gradually tapered sides of.

the prongs do not ofier sufficient resistance to prevent the prongs fromworking their way inwardly into the interior of the boot or shoe in casethe neck or head of the staple becomes worn through so that the prongsare disconnected. I overcome these objections by cutting the wire asindicated in Fig. 1 so as to form a neck or head portion and blunt faces6 e on the ends of blanks and shoulders e e on the sides thereof asshown in Fig. 2. The blunt ends cannot engage the sides of the holes inthe stock and therefore prevent liability of the deflection of theprongs when they are being driven. The shoulders e 6 give the prongssufficient resistance or hearing on the stock into which the prongs aredriven to prevent liability of the prongs working inward in case of thewearing away of the head or neck of the staple.

In forming the staple, the blank is first cut from the wire, said blankhaving the shoulders, e e, and the blunt points, 6 e. The blank is nextbent at a point between the shoulders to form the staple, thenpreferably one of the prongs is bent, so that both prongs shall occupythe same plane. See Fig. 2.

I claim-- 1. A staple fastener for boots or shoes comprising in itsconstruction a neck or head, prongs arranged to lie in the same planeand provided with tapering extremities and blunt ends and shoulders uponsaid prongs between the head and ends and at a distance from the endsapproximately equal to the length of the taper, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. The described improvement in the method of making staples, the sameconsisting in so cutting the wire from which the staples are made as toform blunt faces at the ends of the blank and shoulders on the sidesthereof, the out which forms ablunt face forming a shoulder on thecontiguousstaple,bendingt-he wire two subscribing Witnesses, this 15thday of at a point between the shoulders to form the June, A. D. 1893.staple, and then bending one prong to make i it occupy the same plane asthe other prong, PE FER COUPAT" 5 substantially as and for the purposedescribed. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have signed my C. F. BROWN, name to thisspecification, in the presence of A. D. HARRISON.

